LOCAL

Grand Ledge school board, state association to meet Friday in wake of Metcalf comments

Rachel Greco
Lansing State Journal

GRAND LEDGE -  The Grand Ledge Public Schools Board of Education will hold a special meeting Friday to consider "a confidential and privileged attorney client communication" from its attorneys.

Brian Metcalf

The meeting, which is scheduled for 10 a.m. over Zoom, comes at the end of a week filled with public backlash over comments district Superintendent Brian Metcalf wrote Sunday on Facebook regarding George Floyd's death. 

The communication from East Lansing-based Thrun Law Firm is related "to the events of this week," school board Trustee Sara Clark Pierson said Wednesday.

She declined to discuss its specifics, but described it as "written guidance."

School officials aren't the only group meeting about Metcalf's comments Friday.

Metcalf is listed as president-elect of the Michigan Association of Superintendents & Administrators' executive board on the organization's website.

“The MASA Board does not condone those statements and is meeting tomorrow morning to discuss next steps and possible action,” Steve Matthews, MASA board president, wrote in a statement to the State Journal Thursday.

The Board of Education will discuss the legal opinion in closed session, Pierson said, but there will be an opportunity for members of the public to comment during the open portion of the meeting.

"I’ve encouraged people to attend and make comments because the public needs to," she said. "Obviously with hundreds of emails there is high interest."

Pierson said she does not expect action will be taken by the school board at Friday's meeting.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the Board of Education said its members are "deeply concerned" about Metcalf's statements about Floyd's death, but board President Denise Dufort said they did not intend to fire Metcalf.

Metcalf announced he will enroll in "diversity and/or cultural awareness and sensitivity class to help me grow so that I may better respond in the future."

A screenshot of comments made May 31, 2020 on Facebook by Grand Ledge Public Schools Superintendent Brian Metcalf in the wake of George Floyd's death.

"...it all starts with being a law abiding citizen - had he not paid with counterfeit money, had he not resisted, had he not been under the influence -- then there would be no contact with officers; that does not excuse the officer; it just eliminates the conflict to begin with!! It starts with being a good citizen!" Metcalf wrote Sunday, part of a response to a May 30 post by John Ellsworth, the school district's communications director.

The statement came a week after Floyd, a black man, was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis, and the same day that a peaceful protest of police brutality at the State Capitol was followed by property damage and fires in downtown Lansing in what Lansing Police Chief Daryl Green called a "riot."

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Metcalf's comments, characterized as victim-blaming by many, were shared widely on social media and sparked quick community backlash. They prompted a protest Monday afternoon at the school district's administrative offices. A crowd of about 40 people attended.

Metcalf issued a statement Monday morning saying his words were taken out of context. He issued an apology Tuesday.

Thursday Terrance Augustine, chair of the Eaton County Board of Commissioners, released a statement calling on the Board of Education to remove Metcalf from his position.

"He must either step down or be removed from his position so Grand Ledge and its school board can take the right steps to reform its commitment to diversity and a safe learning environment for all students," he wrote on Facebook. "This recommendation is not sought to be a punishment, just a first step in addressing an issue that continues to plague our students, staff and society as a whole."

The statement, posted to Augustine's Facebook page, is signed by Augustine, a Democrat who represents District 3, and nine other officials including fellow commissioners Matthew Bowen, Joseph Brehler, Brandon Haskell and Rob Piercefield, along with Delta Township Supervisor Ken Fletcher, Delta Township Clerk Mary Clark, and Delta Trustees Karen Mojica, Andrea Cascarilla and Fonda Brewer.

The Board of Education is also expected to meet Monday night. A protest over Metcalf's statements and the board's response is planned for that evening, said organizer Tamela Jones. She said many in the community want Metcalf removed from his position.

"We’re not stopping," she said Tuesday. "We’re moving ahead."

Contact Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @GrecoatLSJ.